Senior Aerothermal Engineer Verified today

What You'll Do

Every surface of Inversion's reentry vehicles is designed against the aerothermal environment it must survive. You will develop and database the aerothermal environment around our reentry vehicles, combining high-fidelity CFD, engineering-level methods, and test data into database products that drive vehicle design.

• Develop and maintain aerothermal environment databases spanning the full flight envelope of Inversion's reentry vehicles
• Run high-enthalpy CFD solutions at conditions anchoring the database, including flows in thermal-chemical non-equilibrium
• Apply handbook and engineering-level heating estimation methods to efficiently populate the trajectory and attitude space between high-fidelity anchor points
• Fuse heating estimates from data sources of varying fidelity (CFD, engineering methods, ground test, and flight data) into coherent database products with defined uncertainties and margins
• Deliver environments that directly drive TPS sizing, structural design, and trajectory constraints, and support downstream users in applying them correctly
• Build and mature the tooling, automation, and data infrastructure behind database generation and delivery

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience
• Typically 5+ years of experience in hypersonic, supersonic, reentry, or rocketry aerothermodynamic analysis
• Experience running high-enthalpy flow solvers (US3D, DPLR, LAURA, Loci-CHEM, or similar)
• Experience with handbook and engineering-level heating estimation methods (e.g. Fay-Riddell, Tauber, MINIVER-class tools, or similar correlations)
• Strong fundamentals in hypersonic aerodynamics, boundary layer physics, and convective and radiative heat transfer
• Proficiency in programming languages like Python, Fortran, C++, or MATLAB for analysis tooling and automation
• Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, including prototyping and rapid iteration of new products
• On-site at Inversion HQ in Playa Vista, CA
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government Secret/Top Secret security clearance

Desired Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent field
• Experience assembling heating estimates from data sources of varying fidelity into an overall database product used to drive vehicle design
• Experience with uncertainty quantification and the definition of design margins for aerothermal environments
• Experience integrating ground and flight test data into aerothermal vehicle models